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William Cowper (doctor)
Dr. William Cowper (1701 - 12 October 1767) was an English poet, doctor, and antiquarian. Life Cowper was the third son of the Reverend John Cowper, MA of Overleigh Hall, Cheshire, by Catherine, daughter of William Sherwin, beadle of divinity and bailiff of the University of Oxford. He was baptised at St. Peter's Church]], Chester, on 29 July 1701. He was admitted a student at Leiden University on 27 October 1719, and probably took his doctor's degree in that university. For many years he practised as a physician at Chester with great reputation. In 1745 he was elected mayor of Chester. Cowper, who was a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, was an intelligent antiquarian and preserved many valuable manuscript collections of Williamson and others which would otherwise have perished. He was a guardian of the Foundling Hospital in London. He married in 1722 Elizabeth, daughter of John Lonsdale of High Ryley, Lancashire, but had no issue. He died at Overleigh, and was buried at St. Peter's Church, Chester. Overleigh Hall The Hall, to the west of what is now the modern district of Handbridge, was built by Thomas Cowper (d. 1695), who had acquired the estate partly through descent and partly through purchase. Dr. William Cowper made improvements to the property, which in 1811 was inherited by Charles Cholmondeley of Vale Royal Abbey and rented to a tenant. In 1821, along with of land, it was bought by Robert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess of Westminster and demolished in 1830 to allow construction of a new entrance to the Eaton Hall estate. Writing He was also the author of Il Penseroso: an evening's contemplation in St. John's churchyard, Chester. A rhapsody, written more than twenty years ago, and now (first) published, illustrated with notes historical and explanatory, London, 1767, 4to, addressed, under the name of M. Meanwell, to the Rev. John Allen, M.A., senior fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, and rector of Tarporley, Cheshire. In this work Cowper takes a view of some of the most remarkable places around Chester distinguished by memorable personages and events. He published anonymously A Summary of the Life of St. Werburgh: With an historical account of the images upon her shrine (now the episcopal throne) in the choir of Chester: Collected from antient chronicles and old writers, by a Citizen of Chester, Chester, 1749, 4to. This work is said to have been stolen from the manuscripts of Mr. Stone. He also left several works of his own compilation relative to the ancient history of Cheshire and Chester. These manuscripts, which are frequently quoted by Ormerod, the Cheshire historian, are preserved in the family archives at Overlegh. They consist of various small volumes, most of the contents of which are fairly transcribed into two larger ones, containing memoirs of the earls of the palatinate and the bishops and dignitaries of the cathedral, lists of city and county officers, and a local chronology of events. In his Broxton MSS. he takes Webb's Itinerary as the text of each township, adds an account of it transcribed from Williamson's Villare, and continues the descent of property to his own time. He also wrote a small manuscript volume, entitled Parentalia, containing memoirs of the Cowper family, and the account of the siege of Chester, which is printed in Ormerod's Cheshire, i. 203 seq. This description of the siege had been printed twice previously at Chester (in 1790 and 1793), but with considerable alterations. Publications Poetry *''Il Penseroso: An evening's contemplation in St. John's Church-Yard, Chester. London: T. Longman, 1767. Non-fiction *''A Summary of the Life of St. Werburgh: With an historical account of the Images upon Her Shrine, (now the Episcopal Throne) In the Choir of Chester. Chester, UK: Eliz. Adams, for the Booksellers, 1749. *''An Account of the Siege of Chester: During the civil wars between King Charles I. and his Parliament''. Chester, UK: P. Broster, 1793. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = William Cowper 1767, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc.Web, May 23, 2016. See also *List of British poets References * .Web, May 23, 2016. Notes External links ;About *Dr. William Cowper of Chester (1701-1767) at English Poetry, 1579-1830 * Cowper, William (1701-1767) Category:1701 births Category:1767 deaths Category:Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Category:18th-century poets Category:English-language poets Category:English poets Category:Poets